No, this isn't about how to put the spare on; I hope you can figure that one out on your own! This is an article on the method I use to put new tires on a rim (or change the tube on wire wheels) if you're too cheap to pay someone to do it at the tire shop, or (like me) you just like doing things yourself, or you get a lot of punctured tubes in the middle of nowhere from old worn out wire wheels (also like me).

If you don't want to shell out for a tire machine, you will need a pair of good, long tire irons (spoons). Mine are about 2 ft long, they can be hard to find these days but I got mine from a trucking supply store. There are other labour-saving devices such as mechanical bead breakers available, if you plan on doing this a lot (although they won't fit in the boot). Several alternative methods of breaking beads are described below, and many other creative methods have been devised by shadetree mechanics or in a pinch on the side of the road. When I had wire wheels, the tubes got punctured often (long story) and I got a lot of practice fixing them.

Tire irons (spoons) can be found at trucking and heavy duty supply stores

Be careful not to damage the bead on the tires or they will be ruined. Having a small bucket of soapy water on hand helps a lot, but plain water or even spit will do in a pinch. Do not use screwdrivers instead of spoons, you run a high risk of damaging the tire's bead (or tube where fitted), and they do not give the leverage required.

You can also use a 10 inch carpenter's wooden parallel clamp to break the bead, which can be a lot less work, and takes less room than a dedicated tire machine. Once you get good with spoons though, they are probably the fastest way to get the job done.

The "bead" is the circle of rubber where the tire contacts the rim, and creates an airtight seal. Rims have a narrow lip on the inside where the bead sits, sometimes with a slight hump towards the inside so the bead won't fall off the rim if the sidewall gets hit from the side (and which makes mounting and removal a bit more work). Obviously, two beads per tire, one on each side.

Cross-section showing tire bead seated on rim. This is a motorcycle tire, but the concept is the same.

The procedure I've used is as follows:

Deflate the tire. Removing the valve from the stem is the fastest way. You can sometimes still find stem caps that have the little slotted valve unscrewing tool on the top, can come in handy.

Use a spoon to lever the tire towards the CENTER of the wheel, you may need to go around several times and jump on it to "break the bead". The idea here is that you need the opposite side of the bead to be able to tuck down into the lowest part of the rim, so as to give it enough slack to get the near part of the bead up and over the lip of the rim. Alternatively, you can place a bottle or floor jack on one side of the tire, and wedge the other side of the tire against something (a timber to a ceiling joist would work) to break the bead.

Now, stand on one side of the tire so that it will tuck into the lowest part of the rim, and lever the opposite side up and over the lip. You will need two spoons, leave the first one that you get over in place, and use the second to get more of the tire over the rim. You'll have to start in small increments from the stationary spoon, but after you get half the tire over it will get easier. Proceed until the entire sidewall is on the outside of the rim lip.

Flip the wheel over and break the other bead as in Step 2.

Now there is only one bead inside the rim, and the tire will be loose. Put the "tire side" on the ground, and lift the rim so part of the bead is in the lowest part like in #3. Start one spoon in and move the second as in Step 3, and the rim will pop out.

Comments on "Mounting Tires the DIY Way"

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A set of bead breaker tire irons, which fit together to lever the bead down, is very helpful. One extra iron is helpful to keep the portion of the tire you have succeeded in levering over the rim, in place, as you move further around. Breaking the bead is difficult, especially on painted wheels, if rust has developed in the bead area of the rim. The instructions are somewhat misleading, however, because you really need to break the bead on both sides before you try to lever the tire casing off the rim. Put something on the ground to protect the wheel as you maneuver it, such as plywood or thick cardboard. When reinstalling the tube, it is helpful to have a tool to keep the valve stem from going back through the hole before you can inflate the tire. I use a valve stem thread restorer tool for this but there are other options. Having a tool to unscrew the valve core is useful too. Tubes can be repaired with self vulcanizing patches, which have a flammable substance you light on fire.

Having worked through college breaking down and patching 1000X20 dump truck tires manually with a spade hammer and spoons and irons, an MGB tire and wheel isn't too much of a problem. Having said that, with an additional 30 years behind me since college, lol, I look for the simplest way possible. My dad's years an an USAF aircraft mechanic paid dividends. He showed me a quick way to break the bead on a tire. place a piece of 2x6 on the tire you want to break down, then slowly have someone you trust drive another vehicle up on the 2x6. This method saves wear and tear on the rubber of the bead that spoons and irons usually inflict. Liberal application of a 50/50 mix of water and dish detergent also helps lubricate the rubber both in the breaking down, and reassembly.

I realized my left rear tire keeps going down after 3-4 days. As I am doing other fixes to
the car and not driving it I just keep pumping it back up. Well today I finally sprayed
some soapy water on it & see bubbles coming from the spokes closest to the valve
stem. This article will help me figure it out. Hopefully it's a cut tube I can patch &
reinstall. But this is a great detailed article & honestly not much different from the bicycle
Tire repairs I did as a kid-just bigger tools. I used wooden salad spoons-my Mom never
knew as I cleaned them with comet when I was done.

I made a valve removal tool by taking an old section of brake line 1/8 inch steel from a mustang and cutting a slot on the end with a hacksaw blade or a dremel cutting disc just deep enough to engage the valve shoulder the hole allows the stem to go inside the brake line easy and cheap often easier than looking for the tool.

I usually use a piece of leaf from and old spring for a tire tool (HF does sell semi proper tools). Most cars are too low to use the drive up the board trick to break the bead. I pull the car close to the tire then jack it up and then place the board under the jacked up tire and close to the rim of the flat tire (always remove the valve gut). Use caution because it's easy to get hurt or to damage something.

You might want to try a small "chopping" hammer to brake the beads. Ken-Tool makes one that has a hard rubber head on the other end. You have to have a good aim to drive the wedge end of the hammer between the rim and the tire without damaging the wheel. I learned this method many years ago when I worked on trucks. You use the rubber end to mount the tire with no damage to the wheel. I still have my chopping hammer and 2 irons and use then all the time. With these 3 tools, you can mount and dismount almost any tire. Practice on a old tire and wheel till you get your aim!!

There are two kinds of wire wheels, sealed and unsealed. Most modern wire wheels are sealed and can be used with tubeless tires. That said, I used tubes for years and it's not difficult. Generally the inside of the rim is smooth and you don't need a "rim band". If you are getting punctures, you can buy a rim band (do not use duct tape or electrical tape), or you can cut up an old tube to make one. Regardless of rim band or not, use plenty of talc when assembling to avoid pinch flats.

Best way I found to break down a tire.Use a bumper jack off of a sixties American car, the base plate is rounded and usually fit the rim radius pretty good.Just put the tire you want to break down on the ground under the bumper , put the jack base on the tire close to the rim and jack it up till the bead slips off the rim.Sometimes you have to put the base plate on backwards to make it work.This process has never failed me.Dirk

In the 70's riding motorcycle enduro and hare scrambles races we would on occasion have to repair a tire on circuit. Believe it or not it could be done in as little as 5 minutes from time of stop to time back in. We used to have cook outs and one of the games we had was how fast you could take a tire off and re seat it using only tablespoons. If you know what you're doing you can breeze through it. The newer tires and tubeless I have no idea about but back in the day men were men and girls were glad of it. LOL When I get to the tire mounting point on this thing I'll let you know if it's a perishable skill.

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